Machine for making fiber insulating-sheets.



T. HOI-IMIS.

MACHINE POR MAKING FIBER INSULATING SHEETS.

,APPLIGATION FILED AUG.19, 1912.

www m www s* m I vv 1.2M@ MVN .MMIM

T. `HOHAUS. MACHINE POR MAKING FIBER INSULATING SHEETS.

TION FILED AUG. 19, 1912.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

NVENTOR 4 1 Wn-.Nessus UNITEDA STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE HOHAUS, 0.1.' IN'ONA, NIINNESOTALASSIGNOR TO UNION FIBRE COMPANY,

OF WINONA, MINNESOTA, A CORPORATION OF MINNESOTA.

MACHINE FOR MAKING FIBER INSULATING-SHEETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 4, 1914.

Application led August 19, 1912. Serial No. 715,701.

T0 all whom 'it may concern VBe it known that I, TnnoDoRs HoHAUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVinona, in the county of Winona and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Making Fiber Insula.ting-Sheets, of WhCh the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements machines for making insulating sheets {ib-cr, having 'special reference to flax vor other vegetable iibers, its object being to provide improved mechanical means for distributing and interlacing the fibers, Where# by to produce a more perfect and uniform entanglement and distribution ofthe same, so that. the sheet Will be more uniform in structure and thickness, more coherent and pliable, and have greater strength. In the product so produced there will be practically no wastage, because of the uniform thickness and structure ofthe sheets.

Insulating sheets of fiber are usually made by delivering theibrous material upon a traveling apron, which iirst carries the same through water in a tank Where the Fibers are distributed and interlaced, and then under or between a succession of such compres vsion instrumentalities as rolls and tampers to squeeze out the Water and complete the felting of the fibers. Y

Heretofore in the art th'e distribution and interlacing of the bers has been doneby manual labor, the Workmen standing at the sides of the tank at-'the point where the fibers are carried into thejvater, and dis trihuting and interlacing them in the Watery with their fingers. `When done'in this Way it is obviously impossible to secure an even distribution or uniform entanglement of the fibers, so that the sheets produced have many imperfections of structure and irregularities in thickness and finish. To overcome these imperfections I have devised the improved mechanical distributing and interlacing instrumentalities hereinafter described.

More particularly my'invention consists in the constructiom combination, and arrangement of parts hereinaftendescribed and claimed.

In the accompanymg drawingshoivmg thepreferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is a top "view of the improved machine; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the same on line of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross section on line 1/#y of Fig. Q, showing one of the interlacing cylinders; F ig. 4 is a longitudinal section through one of the interlacing cylinders on line .e-z of Fig. Q; Figs. 5 and 6 are side and bottom views, respectively, of theacting face of one of the iii-st pair of tampers; Fig. 7 is a plan view of the foraminous slats of the apron or conveyer; and Fig. S is a cross section through the same on line 'w-/w of Fig. 7.

The machine here shown is designed especially to handle flax fiber and embodies a relatively long tank 9. supportedpupon the frame A. v`Within the tank runs the upper reach of an endless traveling apron or conveyer formed by side chains 3 and transverse slats 4, the slats having, preferably, a large number of holes 5 to permit water to pass through.-

In the structure here shown the apron passes over an idler roller 6 at the feed end of the machine and over rollers 7 and 8 at theforivard or delivery end of the machine. It is shown driven from the main drive pulley B by means of the following mechanism: Fast upon the shaft of'this drive pulley isa gear 9 which meshes with a gear 10 upon the shaft of the large roller 7.v At each vend of this roller is a sprocket 11 which engages and coacts with the corresponding side chain 3 of the conveyer, whereby to drive the same. It Will/be seen that the conveyer does not Wrap around the roller 7 or its sprockets 11, but its upper reach merely rests upon the roller and sprockets and then' passes\on and Wraps about the smaller roller 8. This roller is driven from the shaft of the roller 7 by means of sprocket and chain connection 13. The roller 8, being of smaller diameter thanthe roller 7 will move faster and exert a constant pull upon the a ron, the sprockets of the roller 7 serving oth to pull the upper reach of the belt through the tank and also to push it along towardA the smaller roller 8. This arrangement serves to keep the belt under constant and uniform tension, and prevents the chains from being shaken or slipping 0E the sprockets 11. v ,f

The material, which may consistof wholly or partially degummed and washed fibers of flax, may be delivered upon the top reach of the traveling apron before the same enters the water in the tank by any convenient feeding means. In the drawings I have shown a feeder substantially like that covered by United States Letters Patent No. 828,403, issued to me onAugust 14, 1906. As the feeder forms no part of the present invention it will be suiiicient to say that the material passes from the hopper 14 to a travelingA belt 15, whence it ispicked up by the pins of a rotating drum 16 and carried upwardly and forwardly with the drum, Ithe surplus material being removed from 'the drum and driven into a chute 17 by means of the pins upon a doffer 18, these pins traveling in proximity to the pins upon the drum 16, but in a reverse direction. The material remaining on the drum 16. is then carried forwardly until it is caught by the pins of a second dofer 19 which lrun in proximity to the pins on the drum 16 and in the same direction. The fiber is'picked off the drum bv this' doffer and delivered in loose condition upon the top reach vof the apron before the same enters the tank.

f mentalities which are more particularly the. so,

At the point where the apron enters the tank its side chains pass over, and drive, the idler sprockets 20 of a shaft 21 journaled in the side walls 53 of the tank, and then down and under the under-running sprockets 22 upon the shaft of a roller 23, also journaled in the lside walls of the tank, thereby driving the sprockets 22 and the roller` 23 fast upon the shaft thereof. The sprockets 2O are arranged near the top of the tank, so as to keep the apron outiof contact with the edge of its rear end-walt, and in close proximity to the submerging sprockets 22, which carry the apron down, ward into the water in the tank, as best shown in Fig. 2. The roller 23 is preferably fiuted or ribbed transversely to its direction of rotatiomwwhereby to grip and hold the liber-until the same has been carried beneath it, the pressure of the moving fiber "against the ribs or corrugations of the roller also assisting to drive the same. Near the forwardend of the tank is another submerging` instrumentality, which may .con`

'sist, fas here shown, if a pair of idler sprockets 24 journaled 1n the side wallsl53 of the tank in position to be engaged bythe side chains of the apron. Between the two submerging instrumentalities, which are p04 sitioned near the opposite ends of the tank, are arranged the ber interlacing instrusubject of this invention. As here ,shown these instrumentalities consist of `a series of under-running cylinders D, D1,and D2 having their peripheries studdedv at frequent intervals with pins 25 which project backwardly from the direction of 'travel of the cylinders, preferably at an angle between the radial and tangential angles, the cylinders being arranged so that the pins upon each cylinder will travel in close proximity to the pins on the next succeeding cylinder. These cylinders run in the direction indicated b" the arrow inFig. 2 and may be driven in any convenient way, either by the apron or by an independent source of power. It is important, however, that the speed of travel of 'the ins at about their medial point should be substantially the same as the speed of travel of the apron., so that the pins wil move with the fiber. As here shown the cylindersare driven from the shaft 26 of the fluted roller 23, which is itself driven by the apron, in the following manner:

Upon the end of the shaft 26 which projects beyond the sidewall of the tank are a pair of sprockets 27 and 28. The sprocket 27 has chain connection 29 with a sprocket 30 upon the projecting end of the shaft of the forward cylinder D2, while the sprocket 28 has chain connection 31 with a sprocket 32 upon the projecting end of the shaft of the middle cylinder D1. The rear cylinder D-is driven from the shaft of the forward cylinder D2 by. means of a chain 33 which passes over sprockets upon the shafts of both of these cylinders. All of these sprockets are of such size that the speed of travel of the cylinder pins at their middle point will be the same as the speed of travel of the apron. In order that the fibers may be intertangled and interlaced` by the pins of these cylinders, the cylinders are also given an axially reciprocatory motion transversely of the tank. In the embodiment of -the invention shown in the drawings this is accomplished in the following manner:

Each ofthe cylinders is keyed upon a sleeve A 34 which is feathered upon the shaft 35 thereof, as indicated at 36 in Fig. 4, so as to be capable of longitudinal or axial movement upon the shaft. The reciprocatory movement may be imparted to the'se cylinders` by any convenient mechanism. As here shown they are driven from a drive pulley C, the shaft of which is journaled' in the sides of the tank. On one end of this lshaft is a bevel gear 37 which meshes with a bevel vgear 38 upon the eccentric shaft 39 sup ported in suitable bearings 40 upon the outside of the tank. 'fhe adjacent ends of the sleeves 34 of each of the cylinders D, D1, and l)2 are journaled in the eccentric straps 41, so that they will be free to rotate therein, and will also be reciprocated by the eccentric when the eccentric shaft 39 is' turned. The eccentrics for the cylinders are mounted so as to travel at suitable distances apart, the arrangement hereV` s-.f-fwn being such that the eccentric far each cylinder will travel one-third in advance Aof -the eccentric for the next succeeding cylinder, whereby toi-"-give'f'the cylinders oppositely directed or cross movements at variable rates of speed, and thereby enable the cylinder pins' to effectjas domplete an entanglement and intel-lacing of the fibers as possible. The water in the tank is kept troni rising above aV proper level, such as that shown in Fig. 2 of the, rdrawings, by Ineens ot an overflow opening 42. lt will be seen that the interlacing cylinders are so mounted that the pins only will be submerged in the water, and that the pins leave the water at a downward and forward angle so as not to pull the tiber up .with them.

It will be seen that the `forward roller 7 over which the apron passes is positioned above the level of water in the tank, so .that the apron atter it leaves the submerging sprockets Q4 will travel upwardly and leave the water before it reaches the end oi' the tank. Just at and beyondth'e point where it emerges from the water are arranged suitable instrunientalities tor conipacting the intertwined fibers and expelling the water therefrom, this water escapingr through the holes 5 in the toraniinous slats. The conr pression devices here shown comprise a series ot tanipers. rlhe rear tainpers 43 are hung upon ecc-entries el 'and their operating faces consist ot if -shaped ribs rlfhe aplces ot the ribs on one of these tampers are directed toward one side of the tank, while apices of the ribs on the other tamper are direct-ed toward the opposite side of the tank, whereby to en'ect a complete working of all parts ot' the material. Forwardlv ot these is a third tamper 46 hung upon an eccentric 45, the actingr face of which preferably consists of two ribs extending; transversely to the line of travel of the apron. All these eea-entries may be driven troni any suitable source of power (not shown). From these tainpers the apron carries the material between the roller T and the cozuftiireT press roller 47 mounted in spring` pressed` bearings 48 and driven troni any suitable source ot' power. .fitti-r the sheet. has been carried through the rollers T and Lil', it is delivered from the apron to press rolls -ll and 50, which may he driven from any suitable source of power. From these press rolls it passes on to a suitable table or con.eyer 5l.

The shock ot tbc reciprm'atory endwise ino-vement. of interlacing cylinders may be taken up. it desired. by means of coil spring` interina-ed between the cylinders '.awalls ci" the tank. best shown The lower reach ot the apron suppifrtrd in ils return travel underneath the ank by nrcan:` ot' n deck -lcarried by .afinework oi the machine.

.in i' e the ilbrons material. which is usually in ,=-ou'ie\\'hat 'wet and matted condition deposited upoutlir top reach of the apron before the same has become submerged in the water in the tank. This may be done by any convenient mechanism or other means, such, for instance, as the feeding and doter devices'shown in the drawings and described above. The apron as it enters the tank is carried down beneath the water by the sprockets 2:2 and roller 23, and is kept submerged by 'these instriiinentalities and the rotary sprockets' Q11; during a conside-r able portion of its travel through the tank. The fibrous material is carried under the water with the apron, being held against the apron by the roller until it has passed this roller and is in proximity to the first interlacing cylinder D. it this point, being now relieved ot the pressure ot' the roller 23, the. fibrous material rises in the water and the fibers become` somewhat loosened and. separated. ln this condition the fibers are immediately subjected to the combined rotary and cross-wise .reciprocatery movements oit the pins upon the interlacing cylinders, whereby the bers are crossed, interlaced, and pretty evenly distributed throughout the width of the apron. )is soon as the fibers have been propelled beyondvthcse cylinders and before they have hadan opportunity to become disentangled, the apron carries them un out of the water and under such compression instrumentalities as may be selected te complete the teltinfr. The instrumentalities here shown are the tampers 43 and 46, which are hung upon eccen'trics, and exert a rapid and constant pounding against the interlaced material, thereby expelling the water therefrom through the oraminous slats and coinpacting the material into a continuous sheet, the actin.; faces of the tampers 43 being constructed with oppositely directed V- shaped ribs as above described in order to effect a poundinfi ani'l'conipressive. action upon practically every part of the sheet.

After the material has been carried past the tampers it carried througli the. squeeze rolls 7 and fr? as above described. whence itis delivered from the apron as a self-sustaining sheet to a second pair of squeeze and iinishina rolls 49 and 50, to be finally dis. charged upon a suitable table 5l. ln the sheets so formed the fibers are so completely interlaced aud intertangledmnd are so evenly distributed, that all parts of the sheet are of practically unito-rin thickness and texture, and there/are no soft spots resultingI v'from imperfect distribution ot the ber, which would impair the insulating properties of the sheet. For this reason there is practicallv no wastage. and the :shecrs are highly resilient and self-sustaining. The uniform ity of texture, structure, and thickness makes the sheets particularly desirable for heat in sulating purposes in refrigerator cars and the like, where spots of detectiveinsulation greatly impair the usefulness of the product.

By the-term Waterfl as used in the claims Iv mean'to include any liquid which will allow thefibers to be handled and formed into sheets in substantially the manner herein described.

I claim as my invention:

1.' In a machine for making fiber insulating sheets, the combination' with a submerged travelin apron operative to carry the fibrous stoc point above the same, o means Working in the Water. and moving transversely across theline of travel of the. apron andy adapted to distribute.y and interlace the bers in their progress through the Water,'and means opl erating upon the interlaced fibers to coming sheets, fthe combination with a subpact and expel water from the same.

2. In a machine for making ber insulat lto" compact the same and expel Watertherefrom.

3. In a machine for making ber insulatying sheets, the combination with a sub- ;merged traveling apron-operative to carry the fibrous stock through andabove the vvater,'of means Working in the water and having both a rotary movement in the direc.

tion ofthe line of travel of the fibers and also a reciprocating movement across the Vline of travel thereof, whereby to distribute and interlace thesame, and compression de- 4. In a mac ine for making fiber insulatmerged traveling apron operative [to carry the fibrous 'stock through the water to a point above the same, of a multiplicity of pins having a reciprocating movement in the Water across the vline of travel of the fibers, whereby to distribute and interlace throu h the water to. a`

vices acting u on the thus interlaced fibers.-

the same', and having also a rotary movement in the line of travel of the fibers.

5. Ina machine for making iiber insulatingsheets, the combination with a submerged traveling apron operative to carry the fibrous stock through the Water and to a point above the same,A of a multiplicity of pins or A'ngers working oppositely in the Water at variable rates of speed across the line of travel of the fibers whereby to distribute and inter-lace the same, said fingers having also a rotary movementin the direction of the line of travel ofthe apron.

6. In a machine for making fiber insulating sheets, the combination with a submerged traveling apron operative to carry fibrous stock through the Water to a point above the same, of cylinders rotating in the line of travel of the apron and having also an endwise reciprocating movement across the line of travel of the apron, said cylinders being studded with a multiplicity of pins adapted to Work Withinthe Water and upon the fibers in their progress through the same, whereby-to distribute and interiace the bers.

7 In a machine for making liber insulating sheets, the combination with a Water- .containing -t-ank7 of an endless foraminous conveyer apron travellng from a point above 1 the Water to a point below the/Water and thence to a point above the same, means for delivering fibrous stocklupon the conveyer before the same enters the Water, a corrugated roller coacting with the apron ,at the point Where it'enters the water to submerge A the fibers, and forwardly rotatingr and transversely reciprocating elements adaptedA T-HEODORE HOHAUS.

Witnesses:l

A. BROWN, S. E. MCCARL. 

